viii PREFATORY REMARKS. 



lately accumulated ; and it was in January of 1866 that Mr. 

 Gray once more offered his yacht for a united trip to the Cape 

 Verdes, — Mr. Lowe, as on the previous occasions, accompanying 

 us. Our stay at the Cape Verdes extended over but a couple of 

 months, added to which the season was unusually dry and un- 

 productive ; nevertheless we gained a certain knowledge of the 

 fauna, — sufficient, at any rate, to convince us of its extreme 

 poverty. 



I had now an interval of nine years, without anything fur- 

 ther to occupy me beyond the gradual elaboration, and occa- 

 sional readjustment, of the island material, — according as fresh 

 supplies were transmitted by various naturalists who chanced, 

 from time to time, to visit one portion or another of the Atlantic 

 Groups ; but in August of 1875 Mr. Gray again stepped forward 

 with a totally new proposal, — namely, that we should take a 

 a steam into the southern hemisphere and make the acquaint- 

 ance of St. Helena. Meanwhile our worthy and greatly valued 

 friend, the Rev. R. T. Lowe, had passed to his rest, — a sad acci- 

 dent having overtaken him, on his outward voyage to Madeira, 

 during April of the preceding year ; so that we could no longer 

 reap the advantage of his society and experience ; nevertheless 

 all that we could do, to supply the deficiency, we did, and were 

 on this occasion joined by Mrs. Wollaston, who had become 

 deeply interested in the Lepidopterous fauna of the islands of 

 the Atlantic. We accordingly made ourselves ready for a last, 

 and thorough, campaign ; and, having received, through the 

 kind consideration of the Earl of Carnarvon, special letters to 

 His Excellency the Governor, H. R. Janisch, Esq., and having 

 had quarters allotted to us in the best and most central resi- 

 dence in the island, ' Plantation House,' — a spot from whence 

 the great Cabbage-Tree ridge is the most easily accessible, — we 

 reached the remote little rock on the 4th of September 1875, 

 and at once commenced our researches. Mr. Gray having de- 

 cided to move on after a few weeks to the Cape of Good Hope, 

 we remained exactly six months at Plantation ; and during that 

 period we were enabled to investigate the Natural History of 

 the island with a fair amount of accuracy. 



I have thought it desirable to enter into the above details, 



